SIMP Rule Comment Analysis¶

This document analyzes all of the public comments on the SIMP Rule: https://www.regulations.gov/document/NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-0001

The comments were obtained via the bulk download here: https://www.regulations.gov/bulkdownload

The code was generated with the help of Github's Copilot AI to automate some of the data processing and analysis

#import and initialize libraries
import pandas as pd
import re
import plotly
from difflib import SequenceMatcher
import plotly.express as px
!pip3 install python-docx
import docx
import os
import difflib
from IPython.core.display import display, HTML
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt

plt.style.use('ggplot')

Requirement already satisfied: python-docx in /opt/homebrew/lib/python3.9/site-packages (0.8.11)
Requirement already satisfied: lxml>=2.3.2 in /opt/homebrew/lib/python3.9/site-packages (from python-docx) (4.9.2)
WARNING: You are using pip version 21.1.3; however, version 23.1.2 is available.
You should consider upgrading via the '/opt/homebrew/opt/python@3.9/bin/python3.9 -m pip install --upgrade pip' command.

/var/folders/z4/2zbdnnm52zgfstckz8b80mv80000gn/T/ipykernel_1843/3497319380.py:11: DeprecationWarning: Importing display from IPython.core.display is deprecated since IPython 7.14, please import from IPython display
  from IPython.core.display import display, HTML

#Read in the public comments
df = pd.read_csv('04May2023SIMPComments.csv')
print(len(df))

2202

df.head()

# remove all non-letter characters from column names
df.columns = df.columns.str.replace('[^a-zA-Z]', '')
df.columns

/var/folders/z4/2zbdnnm52zgfstckz8b80mv80000gn/T/ipykernel_1843/3170508180.py:2: FutureWarning: The default value of regex will change from True to False in a future version.
  df.columns = df.columns.str.replace('[^a-zA-Z]', '')

Index(['DocumentID', 'AgencyID', 'DocketID', 'TrackingNumber', 'DocumentType',
       'PostedDate', 'IsWithdrawn', 'FederalRegisterNumber', 'FRCitation',
       'Title', 'CommentStartDate', 'CommentDueDate', 'AllowLateComments',
       'CommentonDocumentID', 'EffectiveDate', 'ImplementationDate',
       'PostmarkDate', 'ReceivedDate', 'AuthorDate', 'RelatedRINs', 'Authors',
       'CFR', 'Abstract', 'LegacyID', 'Media', 'DocumentSubtype',
       'ExhibitLocation', 'ExhibitType', 'AdditionalField', 'AdditionalField',
       'Topics', 'DuplicateComments', 'OMBPRAApprovalNumber', 'PageCount',
       'PageLength', 'PaperWidth', 'SpecialInstructions', 'SourceCitation',
       'StartEndPage', 'Subject', 'FirstName', 'LastName', 'City',
       'StateProvince', 'ZipPostalCode', 'Country', 'OrganizationName',
       'SubmitterRepresentative', 'RepresentativesAddress',
       'RepresentativesCityStateZip', 'GovernmentAgency',
       'GovernmentAgencyType', 'Comment', 'Category', 'RestrictReasonType',
       'RestrictReason', 'ReasonWithdrawn', 'ContentFiles', 'AttachmentFiles',
       'DisplayPropertiesNameLabelTooltip'],
      dtype='object')

# download all files from internet listed in ContentFiles column
import urllib.request
import os
for l in df['AttachmentFiles'].unique().tolist():
    #cast l to string
    l = str(l)
    if l != 'nan':
        for f in l.split(','):
            if not os.path.isfile(f):
                print(f)
                urllib.request.urlretrieve(f, ''.join(f.split('/')[-2:]).replace('^a-zA-Z0-9]', ''))

https://downloads.regulations.gov/NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2015/attachment_1.png
https://downloads.regulations.gov/NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2115/attachment_1.pdf
https://downloads.regulations.gov/NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2117/attachment_1.pdf
https://downloads.regulations.gov/NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2130/attachment_1.pdf
https://downloads.regulations.gov/NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2131/attachment_1.pdf
https://downloads.regulations.gov/NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2132/attachment_1.pdf
https://downloads.regulations.gov/NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2133/attachment_1.pdf
https://downloads.regulations.gov/NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2138/attachment_1.pdf
https://downloads.regulations.gov/NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2144/attachment_1.pdf
https://downloads.regulations.gov/NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2146/attachment_1.pdf
https://downloads.regulations.gov/NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2148/attachment_1.pdf
https://downloads.regulations.gov/NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2149/attachment_1.pdf
https://downloads.regulations.gov/NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2149/attachment_1.docx
https://downloads.regulations.gov/NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2150/attachment_1.pdf
https://downloads.regulations.gov/NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2151/attachment_1.pdf
https://downloads.regulations.gov/NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2156/attachment_1.pdf
https://downloads.regulations.gov/NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2157/attachment_2.pdf
https://downloads.regulations.gov/NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2158/attachment_1.docx
https://downloads.regulations.gov/NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2158/attachment_1.pdf
https://downloads.regulations.gov/NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2160/attachment_1.pdf
https://downloads.regulations.gov/NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2163/attachment_1.pdf
https://downloads.regulations.gov/NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2164/attachment_1.pdf
https://downloads.regulations.gov/NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2166/attachment_1.pdf
https://downloads.regulations.gov/NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2168/attachment_1.pdf
https://downloads.regulations.gov/NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2170/attachment_1.pdf
https://downloads.regulations.gov/NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2171/attachment_1.pdf
https://downloads.regulations.gov/NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2175/attachment_1.pdf
https://downloads.regulations.gov/NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2177/attachment_1.docx
https://downloads.regulations.gov/NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2177/attachment_1.pdf
https://downloads.regulations.gov/NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2179/attachment_1.pptx
https://downloads.regulations.gov/NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2179/attachment_1.pdf
https://downloads.regulations.gov/NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2180/attachment_2.pdf
https://downloads.regulations.gov/NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2180/attachment_1.pdf
https://downloads.regulations.gov/NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2182/attachment_1.pdf
https://downloads.regulations.gov/NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2184/attachment_1.pdf
https://downloads.regulations.gov/NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2185/attachment_1.pdf
https://downloads.regulations.gov/NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2186/attachment_1.pdf
https://downloads.regulations.gov/NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2187/attachment_1.pdf
https://downloads.regulations.gov/NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2188/attachment_1.pdf
https://downloads.regulations.gov/NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2189/attachment_1.pdf
https://downloads.regulations.gov/NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2190/attachment_1.pdf
https://downloads.regulations.gov/NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2191/attachment_1.pdf
https://downloads.regulations.gov/NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2192/attachment_1.pdf
https://downloads.regulations.gov/NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2193/attachment_1.pdf
https://downloads.regulations.gov/NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2194/attachment_1.pdf
https://downloads.regulations.gov/NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2195/attachment_1.pdf
https://downloads.regulations.gov/NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2196/attachment_1.pdf
https://downloads.regulations.gov/NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2197/attachment_1.pdf
https://downloads.regulations.gov/NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2198/attachment_1.pdf
https://downloads.regulations.gov/NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2199/attachment_1.pdf
https://downloads.regulations.gov/NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2200/attachment_1.pdf
https://downloads.regulations.gov/NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2201/attachment_1.pdf
https://downloads.regulations.gov/NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2202/attachment_1.pdf
https://downloads.regulations.gov/NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2204/attachment_1.pdf

df['AttachmentFiles'].apply(lambda x:   str(x).split('/')[-2] if '/' in str(x) else None ).unique().tolist()

[None,
 'NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2015',
 'NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2115',
 'NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2117',
 'NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2130',
 'NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2131',
 'NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2132',
 'NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2133',
 'NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2138',
 'NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2144',
 'NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2146',
 'NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2148',
 'NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2149',
 'NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2150',
 'NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2151',
 'NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2156',
 'NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2157',
 'NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2158',
 'NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2160',
 'NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2163',
 'NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2164',
 'NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2166',
 'NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2168',
 'NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2170',
 'NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2171',
 'NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2175',
 'NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2177',
 'NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2179',
 'NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2180',
 'NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2182',
 'NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2184',
 'NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2185',
 'NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2186',
 'NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2187',
 'NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2188',
 'NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2189',
 'NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2190',
 'NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2191',
 'NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2192',
 'NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2193',
 'NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2194',
 'NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2195',
 'NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2196',
 'NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2197',
 'NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2198',
 'NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2199',
 'NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2200',
 'NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2201',
 'NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2202',
 'NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2204']

#open files in this folder and extract text
import pdfplumber
import os
pdf_text_dict = {}
for f in os.listdir():
    if f.endswith('.pdf'):
        with pdfplumber.open(f) as pdf:
            # get filename of f
            filename = f.split('.')[0].replace('attachment_1', '')
            if len(pdf.pages) > 10:
                print(filename, len(pdf.pages))
            pdf_text_dict[filename] = '\n'.join([page.extract_text() for page in pdf.pages[0:20]])

NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2171 22
NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2202 15
NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2115 21
NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2166 12
NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2204 29
NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2163 26
NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2201 15
NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2185 13
NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2157attachment_2 18
NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2184 13
NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2200 15
NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2117 45
NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2150 323

# create dataframe from pdf_text_dict
pdf_text_df = pd.DataFrame.from_dict(pdf_text_dict, orient='index')
#join pdf_text_df to df on index 
df_with_pdf_data = df.set_index('DocumentID').join(pdf_text_df, how='left').reset_index()
df_with_pdf_data = df_with_pdf_data.rename(columns={0: 'pdf_text'})
df_with_pdf_data

#extract text from docx files

docx_text_dict = {}
for f in os.listdir():
    if f.endswith('.docx'):
        doc = docx.Document(f)
        # get filename of f
        filename = f.split('.')[0].replace('attachment_1', '')
        docx_text_dict[filename] = '\n'.join([p.text for p in doc.paragraphs])

#Create a single column with the unified text for each comment for analysis
def combine_comment_text(row):
    if str(row['Comment']) != 'nan' and str(row['pdf_text']) != 'nan':
        return row['Comment'] + ' ' + row['pdf_text']
    elif str(row['pdf_text']) != 'nan':
        return row['pdf_text']
    elif str(row['Comment']) != 'nan':
        return row['Comment']
    else:
        return 'UnknownText'
df_with_pdf_data['CombinedText'] = df_with_pdf_data.apply(combine_comment_text, axis=1)

print(f"Number of entries referencing eels: {len(df_with_pdf_data[df_with_pdf_data['CombinedText'].str.contains(' eel')])}")
df_with_pdf_data[df_with_pdf_data['CombinedText'].str.contains(' eel')]['DocumentID'].to_list()

Number of entries referencing eels: 11

['NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-0003',
 'NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-0004',
 'NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2134',
 'NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2136',
 'NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2137',
 'NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2150',
 'NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2156',
 'NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2163',
 'NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2166',
 'NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2195',
 'NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2200']

Further Comment Analysis¶

Many of the documents were identical and appeared to be part of an advocacy campaign from the NRDC.

len(df_with_pdf_data['CombinedText'].unique())
# 218 unique documents at most

218

#count instances of CombinedText in df_with_pdf_data
df_with_pdf_data['CombinedText'].value_counts().head(10).reset_index()

#This shows 1979 are completely identical.

# And 2044 are identical for the first 500 characters
df_with_pdf_data['CombinedText'].str[:500].value_counts().head(200).reset_index()

#Display the most common text
default_NOAA_Admin_Text = df_with_pdf_data['CombinedText'].value_counts().head(1).index[0]
print(default_NOAA_Admin_Text)

Dear NOAA Administrator Spinrad and NOAA Fisheries Assistant Administrator Coit:

The United States needs an effective seafood traceability program to intercept the flow of illegal seafood into our markets. Illegal fishing is a top driver of unsustainable and environmentally harmful fishing practices around the globe, as well as associated human rights abuses in the seafood sector. The newly proposed changes to the Seafood Import Monitoring Program do not go far enough to help end the U.S.'s role in perpetuating human rights abuses and environmental destruction in the seafood industry. 

Illegal fishing is destroying our oceans. Years of overfishing in nearshore waters have forced boats to go into deeper waters, which makes fishing more expensive. Some fishers will cut costs by fishing with illegal gear, fishing in protected areas, or ignoring catch limits. To save on labor costs, some vessel owners rely on human traffickers, some even kidnapping or drugging workers to get them on the ship and cut off from help. Further, the overseas seafood processing industry is heavily reliant on forced labor.  

The U.S. is one of the largest consumers of seafood. Approximately eighty percent of the seafood sold in the U.S. is imported, and as much as a third of the wild-caught seafood sold in the United States each year is illegal or unreported.  

The U.S. government has a responsibility to fix these problems, and seafood traceability is an essential step in the fight to end illegal fishing and human rights abuses in the seafood industry. But under NOAA Fisheries’ proposed rule, traceability requirements would apply to only half of seafood imports, leaving massive loopholes that are easy for bad actors to exploit. The proposed rule also fails to sufficiently address labor abuses in seafood supply chains, and it includes no commitment to improve enforcement of traceability requirements. 

Please revise the Seafood Import Monitoring Program proposed rule to adopt the strongest possible standards for seafood traceability to intercept the flow of illegal seafood into the U.S. and help consumers feel confident the seafood they buy is legally caught and not a product of labor abuses. Thank you for helping to address these environmental and human rights crimes with the seriousness they deserve.

combined_text_noaa_admin_list = df_with_pdf_data[df_with_pdf_data['CombinedText'].str.contains('NOAA Administrator Spinrad and NOAA Fisheries Assistant Administrator Coit')]['CombinedText'].unique().tolist()
print(f"Distinct comments matching or likely derived from the form letter: {len(combined_text_noaa_admin_list)}")

Distinct comments matching or likely derived from the form letter: 137

#display differences in strings for the first 10 strings in combined_text_noaa_admin_list
deltas = sorted([round(SequenceMatcher(None, default_NOAA_Admin_Text, i).ratio(), 3) for i in combined_text_noaa_admin_list])


df = px.data.tips()
fig = px.histogram(deltas)
fig.show()
#So the vast majority of unique strings are still very very similar to the default text

Display the text differences for all of the similar comments¶

This section is long and very detailed. CTRL+F for "END OF COMPARING RELATED COMMENTS" to skip to the next section

bigger_deltas = [i for i in combined_text_noaa_admin_list if SequenceMatcher(None, default_NOAA_Admin_Text, i).ratio() < 0.8]
smaller_deltas = [i for i in combined_text_noaa_admin_list if SequenceMatcher(None, default_NOAA_Admin_Text, i).ratio() < 0.95]

def render_diff(text1, text2):
    diff1 = difflib.HtmlDiff().make_file(text1, text2)
    diff_clean = re.sub('nowrap="nowrap"', '', diff1)
    diff_clean = re.sub('<table', '<table style="table-layout: fixed; width: 100%"', diff_clean)
    diff_clean = re.sub('td.diff_header {text-align:right}', 'td.diff_header {text-align:right; width:1%}', diff_clean)
    diff_clean = re.sub('.diff_next {background-color:#c0c0c0}', '.diff_next {background-color:#c0c0c0; width:1%}', diff_clean)
    diff_clean = re.sub('<td', '<td style="word-wrap: break-word"', diff_clean)
    return HTML(diff_clean)

for i in bigger_deltas:
    display(render_diff(default_NOAA_Admin_Text.split('\n'),i.split('\n')))

for i in smaller_deltas[0:4]:
    display(render_diff(default_NOAA_Admin_Text.split('\n'),i.split('\n')))

END OF COMPARING RELATED COMMENTS¶

When were the comments received?¶

common_comments = df_with_pdf_data[df_with_pdf_data['CombinedText'].str.contains('NOAA Administrator Spinrad and NOAA Fisheries Assistant Administrator Coit')]
common_comments[['Authors', 'Title', 'StateProvince', 'Country', 'GovernmentAgency', 'ReceivedDate', 'PostedDate', 'AuthorDate', 'FirstName', 'LastName']]
# convert PostedDate to datetime
common_comments['PostedDate'] = pd.to_datetime(common_comments['PostedDate'])
common_comments['ReceivedDate'] = pd.to_datetime(common_comments['ReceivedDate'])
#bar chart of ReceivedDate rounded to nearest week
df_with_pdf_data['PostedDate'] = pd.to_datetime(df_with_pdf_data['PostedDate'])
df_with_pdf_data['ReceivedDate'] = pd.to_datetime(df_with_pdf_data['ReceivedDate'])
df_with_pdf_data['ReceivedDate'].groupby(df_with_pdf_data["ReceivedDate"].dt.floor('7D').dt.date).count().plot(kind='bar')

/var/folders/z4/2zbdnnm52zgfstckz8b80mv80000gn/T/ipykernel_1843/18292103.py:4: SettingWithCopyWarning:


A value is trying to be set on a copy of a slice from a DataFrame.
Try using .loc[row_indexer,col_indexer] = value instead

See the caveats in the documentation: https://pandas.pydata.org/pandas-docs/stable/user_guide/indexing.html#returning-a-view-versus-a-copy

/var/folders/z4/2zbdnnm52zgfstckz8b80mv80000gn/T/ipykernel_1843/18292103.py:5: SettingWithCopyWarning:


A value is trying to be set on a copy of a slice from a DataFrame.
Try using .loc[row_indexer,col_indexer] = value instead

See the caveats in the documentation: https://pandas.pydata.org/pandas-docs/stable/user_guide/indexing.html#returning-a-view-versus-a-copy

<AxesSubplot:xlabel='ReceivedDate'>

Comment Posting Timeliness¶

# convert PostedDate to datetime
df_with_pdf_data['PostedDate'] = pd.to_datetime(df_with_pdf_data['PostedDate'])
df_with_pdf_data['ReceivedDate'] = pd.to_datetime(df_with_pdf_data['ReceivedDate'])
# difference in dates between ReceivedDate and PostedDate
df_with_pdf_data['ReceivedToPostedDelta'] = (df_with_pdf_data['PostedDate'] - df_with_pdf_data['ReceivedDate']).dt.days
#convert timedelta to number of days and plot histogram
(df_with_pdf_data['PostedDate'] - df_with_pdf_data['ReceivedDate']).dt.days.hist(bins=100)

<AxesSubplot:>

len(df_with_pdf_data[df_with_pdf_data['ReceivedToPostedDelta'] < 5]) / len(df_with_pdf_data)

0.9763851044504995

97.6% of comments are posted within 5 days of being received¶

The Remainder of Comments¶

unique_entries = df_with_pdf_data[~df_with_pdf_data['CombinedText'].str.contains('NOAA Administrator Spinrad')]
print(f'Unique comments: {len(unique_entries)}')
unique_entries.head(10)

Unique comments: 81

unique_entries['ReceivedDate'].groupby(unique_entries["ReceivedDate"].dt.floor('7D').dt.date).count().plot(kind='bar')

<AxesSubplot:xlabel='ReceivedDate'>

There were meaningful surges in comments at the initial end of the comment period(before the extension) and then at the true end of the comment period(after the extension).

', '.join(unique_entries['DocumentID'].to_list())

'NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-0001, NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-0002, NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-0003, NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-0004, NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-1894, NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-1976, NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2002, NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2004, NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2015, NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2031, NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2070, NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2112, NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2115, NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2117, NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2121, NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2125, NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2130, NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2131, NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2132, NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2133, NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2134, NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2135, NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2136, NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2137, NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2138, NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2139, NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2144, NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2145, NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2146, NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2147, NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2148, NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2149, NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2150, NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2151, NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2153, NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2157, NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2158, NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2159, NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2160, NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2161, NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2162, NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2163, NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2164, NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2165, NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2166, NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2168, NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2170, NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2171, NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2172, NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2173, NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2174, NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2175, NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2176, NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2177, NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2178, NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2179, NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2180, NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2181, NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2182, NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2183, NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2184, NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2185, NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2186, NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2187, NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2188, NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2189, NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2190, NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2191, NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2192, NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2193, NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2194, NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2195, NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2196, NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2197, NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2198, NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2199, NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2200, NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2201, NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2202, NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2203, NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2204'

There were many comments on SIMP but relatively few with distinct input, much less actionable changes to the proposed rule. Eel inclusion in SIMP was one of the most common themes

	Document ID	Agency ID	Docket ID	Tracking Number	Document Type	Posted Date	Is Withdrawn?	Federal Register Number	FR Citation	Title	...	Government Agency	Government Agency Type	Comment	Category	Restrict Reason Type	Restrict Reason	Reason Withdrawn	Content Files	Attachment Files	Display Properties (Name, Label, Tooltip)
0	NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-0001	NOAA	NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119	NaN	Proposed Rule	2022-12-28T05:00Z	False	2022-27741	NaN	Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Mana...	...	NaN	NaN	NaN	NaN	NaN	NaN	NaN	https://downloads.regulations.gov/NOAA-NMFS-20...	NaN	pageCount, Page Count, Number of pages In the ...
1	NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-0002	NOAA	NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119	lcj-jtiv-eyjs	Public Submission	2023-01-20T05:00Z	False	NaN	NaN	Comment from Brown, Julie	...	NaN	NaN	We should expand SIMP to ALL imported species	NaN	NaN	NaN	NaN	NaN	NaN	pageCount, Page Count, Number of pages In the ...
2	NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-0003	NOAA	NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119	lcr-zzpi-2xed	Public Submission	2023-01-20T05:00Z	False	NaN	NaN	Comment from Wilson, Ann	...	NaN	NaN	Ann M Wilson, NRES 520 UWSP\n\nAs a current gr...	NaN	NaN	NaN	NaN	NaN	NaN	pageCount, Page Count, Number of pages In the ...
3	NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-0004	NOAA	NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119	lda-lwj0-6q7p	Public Submission	2023-02-02T05:00Z	False	NaN	NaN	Comment from Anonymous	...	NaN	NaN	I am excited to see the inclusion of eels on t...	NaN	NaN	NaN	NaN	NaN	NaN	pageCount, Page Count, Number of pages In the ...
4	NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-0005	NOAA	NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119	ldk-z0yd-46w8	Public Submission	2023-02-02T05:00Z	False	NaN	NaN	Comment from Weinmann, Marie	...	NaN	NaN	Dear NOAA Administrator Spinrad and NOAA Fishe...	NaN	NaN	NaN	NaN	NaN	NaN	pageCount, Page Count, Number of pages In the ...

	DocumentID	AgencyID	DocketID	TrackingNumber	DocumentType	PostedDate	IsWithdrawn	FederalRegisterNumber	FRCitation	Title	...	GovernmentAgencyType	Comment	Category	RestrictReasonType	RestrictReason	ReasonWithdrawn	ContentFiles	AttachmentFiles	DisplayPropertiesNameLabelTooltip	pdf_text
0	NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-0001	NOAA	NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119	NaN	Proposed Rule	2022-12-28T05:00Z	False	2022-27741	NaN	Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Mana...	...	NaN	NaN	NaN	NaN	NaN	NaN	https://downloads.regulations.gov/NOAA-NMFS-20...	NaN	pageCount, Page Count, Number of pages In the ...	NaN
1	NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-0002	NOAA	NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119	lcj-jtiv-eyjs	Public Submission	2023-01-20T05:00Z	False	NaN	NaN	Comment from Brown, Julie	...	NaN	We should expand SIMP to ALL imported species	NaN	NaN	NaN	NaN	NaN	NaN	pageCount, Page Count, Number of pages In the ...	NaN
2	NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-0003	NOAA	NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119	lcr-zzpi-2xed	Public Submission	2023-01-20T05:00Z	False	NaN	NaN	Comment from Wilson, Ann	...	NaN	Ann M Wilson, NRES 520 UWSP\n\nAs a current gr...	NaN	NaN	NaN	NaN	NaN	NaN	pageCount, Page Count, Number of pages In the ...	NaN
3	NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-0004	NOAA	NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119	lda-lwj0-6q7p	Public Submission	2023-02-02T05:00Z	False	NaN	NaN	Comment from Anonymous	...	NaN	I am excited to see the inclusion of eels on t...	NaN	NaN	NaN	NaN	NaN	NaN	pageCount, Page Count, Number of pages In the ...	NaN
4	NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-0005	NOAA	NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119	ldk-z0yd-46w8	Public Submission	2023-02-02T05:00Z	False	NaN	NaN	Comment from Weinmann, Marie	...	NaN	Dear NOAA Administrator Spinrad and NOAA Fishe...	NaN	NaN	NaN	NaN	NaN	NaN	pageCount, Page Count, Number of pages In the ...	NaN
...	...	...	...	...	...	...	...	...	...	...	...	...	...	...	...	...	...	...	...	...	...
2197	NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2200	NOAA	NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119	lgz-w9zq-b8i3	Public Submission	2023-05-01T04:00Z	False	NaN	NaN	Comment from National Fisheries Institute	...	NaN	Please see attached comments from the National...	NaN	NaN	NaN	NaN	NaN	https://downloads.regulations.gov/NOAA-NMFS-20...	pageCount, Page Count, Number of pages In the ...	April 27, 2023\nMs. Janet Coit\nAssistant Admi...
2198	NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2201	NOAA	NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119	lgz-sbpt-z168	Public Submission	2023-05-02T04:00Z	False	NaN	NaN	Comment from NRDC	...	NaN	See attached file(s)	NaN	NaN	NaN	NaN	NaN	https://downloads.regulations.gov/NOAA-NMFS-20...	pageCount, Page Count, Number of pages In the ...	April 27, 2023\nRachael Confair\nTrade Monitor...
2199	NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2202	NOAA	NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119	lgz-spv1-1q5g	Public Submission	2023-05-02T04:00Z	False	NaN	NaN	Comment from NRDC	...	NaN	See attached file(s)	NaN	NaN	NaN	NaN	NaN	https://downloads.regulations.gov/NOAA-NMFS-20...	pageCount, Page Count, Number of pages In the ...	April 27, 2023\nRachael Confair\nTrade Monitor...
2200	NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2203	NOAA	NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119	lgz-adhc-v1eh	Public Submission	2023-05-02T04:00Z	False	NaN	NaN	Comment from Southwind Foods LLC dba Great Ame...	...	NaN	My comments are in regards to the IFTP holder ...	NaN	NaN	NaN	NaN	NaN	NaN	pageCount, Page Count, Number of pages In the ...	NaN
2201	NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-2204	NOAA	NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119	lgz-grfd-bj7t	Public Submission	2023-05-02T04:00Z	False	NaN	NaN	Comment from Southern Shrimp Alliance	...	NaN	Please find attached comments from the Souther...	NaN	NaN	NaN	NaN	NaN	https://downloads.regulations.gov/NOAA-NMFS-20...	pageCount, Page Count, Number of pages In the ...	Southern Shrimp Alliance\nP.O. Box 1577 Tarpon...

	index	CombinedText
0	Dear NOAA Administrator Spinrad and NOAA Fishe...	1979
1	Dear NOAA Administrator Spinrad and NOAA Fishe...	4
2	Dear NOAA Administrator Spinrad and NOAA Fishe...	2
3	See attached file(s) April 27, 2023\nRachael C...	2
4	See attached file(s) March 22, 2023\nMs. Racha...	2
5	Expanding the snapper species to all (currentl...	1
6	To Whom it May Concern,\n \nI am in favor of e...	1
7	Please make good decisions.\n\nDear NOAA Admin...	1
8	Dear NOAA Administrator Spinrad and NOAA Fishe...	1
9	Dear NOAA Administrator Spinrad and NOAA Fishe...	1

	index	CombinedText
0	Dear NOAA Administrator Spinrad and NOAA Fishe...	2044
1	Dear NOAA Administrator Spinrad and NOAA Fishe...	2
2	See attached file(s) March 22, 2023\nMs. Racha...	2
3	Dear NOAA Administrator Spinrad and NOAA Fishe...	2
4	Dear NOAA Administrator Spinrad and NOAA Fishe...	2
...	...	...
149	To NOAA Administrator Spinrad and NOAA Fisheri...	1
150	Dear NOAA Administrator Spinrad and NOAA Fishe...	1
151	Dear NOAA Administrator Spinrad and NOAA Fishe...	1
152	Dear NOAA Administrator Spinrad and NOAA Fishe...	1
153	Please find attached comments from the Souther...	1

+See attached file(s) Tuesday, March 28, 2023
+Rachael Confair
+Office of International Affairs, Trade, and Commerce
+National Marine Fisheries Service
+ East-West Highway (F/IS5)
+Silver Spring, MD 20910
+Subject: End Illegal Fishing and Forced Labor -- Magnuson-Stevens Fishery
+Conservation and Management Act: Seafood Import Monitoring Program (Document ID:
+NOAA-NMFS-2022-0119-0001)
+Dear NOAA Administrator Spinrad and NOAA Fisheries Assistant Administrator Coit:
+The United States needs an effective seafood traceability program to intercept the flow
+of illegal seafood into our markets. Illegal fishing is a top driver of unsustainable and
+environmentally harmful fishing practices around the globe, as well as associated
+human rights abuses in the seafood sector. Disappointingly, the newly proposed
+changes to the Seafood Import Monitoring Program (SIMP) do not go far enough to help
+end the U.S.'s role in perpetuating human rights abuses and environmental destruction
+in the seafood industry.
+“It is horrifying that we have to fight our own government to save the environment.”
+-- Ansel Adams
+Illegal fishing is destroying our oceans. Years of overfishing in nearshore waters have
+forced boats to go into deeper waters, which makes fishing more expensive. Some
+fishers will cut costs by fishing with illegal gear, fishing in protected areas, or ignoring
+catch limits. To save on labor costs, some vessel owners rely on human traffickers,
+some even kidnapping or drugging workers to get them on the ship and cut off from
+help. Further, the overseas seafood processing industry is heavily reliant on forced
+labor.
+I strongly encourage the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) to expand and
+improve the Seafood Import Monitoring Program. The NMFS must expand SIMP to all
+seafood to ensure the United States is only importing seafood that is safe, legally
+caught, responsibly sourced, and honestly labeled. The U.S. is one of the world’s
+largest seafood importing countries. Up to 85% of the seafood consumed in the United
+States is imported, and as much as a third of the wild-caught seafood sold in the United
+States each year is illegal or unreported. The federal government has a responsibility to
+ensure that the seafood products reaching our plates are not sourced from illegal,
+unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing or products of forced labor. In 2019 alone, the
+U.S. imported $2.4 billion worth of seafood that were products of IUU fishing. Globally,
+IUU fishing is estimated to cause economic losses of $25 billion to $50 billion per year.
+IUU fishing is a threat to the health of the oceans and fisheries, the livelihoods of honest
+fishers, national security, and global food security.
+“As we peer into society’s future, we—you and I, and our government—must avoid
+the impulse to live only for today, plundering for our own ease and convenience the
+precious resources of tomorrow. We cannot mortgage the material assets of our
+grandchildren without risking the loss also of their political and spiritual heritage. We
+want democracy to survive for all generations to come, not to become the insolvent
+phantom of tomorrow.”
+-- Dwight D. Eisenhower
+SIMP requires catch documentation for covered species and traceability from the boat
+(or aquaculture farm) to the U.S. border. SIMP reporting requirements include the
+following: species of fish; where, when, and how it was caught; and who caught it. The
+NMFS’s proposed rule to expand and improve SIMP has the potential to improve
+traceability of our seafood through global supply chains and protect American
+consumers and fishers, but only if it is expanded further to include all seafood imports.
+Unfortunately, under the NMFS’ proposed rule, traceability requirements would apply to
+only half of seafood imports, leaving massive loopholes that are easy for bad actors to
+exploit. The proposed rule also fails to sufficiently address labor abuses in seafood
+supply chains, and it includes no commitment to improve enforcement of traceability
+requirements.
+The NMFS must commit to a transparent timeline to expand SIMP to all seafood
+imports. Currently, SIMP applies only to 13 types of seafood deemed at risk of IUU
+fishing and seafood fraud, representing approximately 40% of U.S. imports by value and
+volume. The proposed additional seafood products would include additional tuna and
+snapper species, cuttlefish, squid, octopuses, eels, queen conch, and Caribbean spiny
+lobster, with the possibility of including all conch and spiny lobster species. However,
+this is less than a 4–8% increase in the amount of seafood imports into the U.S. by
+volume, meaning more than 50% of seafood imports would still not be covered by these
+safeguards.
+In addition to expanding SIMP to include all seafood imports, the program should not
+operate in a vacuum. The NMFS should align key data elements (KDE) and critical
+tracking events (CTE) (where appropriate) with the FDA’s Food Traceability List. The
+NMFS should also look to international best practices to align and harmonize these
+KDEs and CTEs across other import control programs to provide consistency to industry
+who must comply with different catch documentation requirements for each country.
+IUU fishing is also linked to transnational crimes like human trafficking and forced labor.
+Lack of oversight and enforcement in the global seafood sector has fostered conditions
+in which crew members remain on vessels for prolonged periods of time and are
+subjected to debt bondage, inhumane working conditions, and severe abuse. Forced
+labor is also found in seafood processing facilities in a number of countries. While this
+rule recognizes that forced labor and human rights abuses are problematic in many
+seafood supply chains, it fails to use this information to expand SIMP to species at high
+risk of forced labor. Because IUU fishing and forced labor are inextricably linked, they
+must be tackled together, using a whole-of-government approach. The NMFS should
+build mechanisms into SIMP to address forced labor and other human rights abuses.
+The U.S.’s high demand for seafood combined with SIMP’s limitations allow seafood
+sourced from illegal activity to flood the U.S. market, driving economic and ecological
+loss around the world. The lack of visibility and traceability allows illegally sourced or
+mislabeled products to enter the legal supply chain. Requiring transparency and
+traceability at every step of the seafood supply chain provides the NMFS and Customs
+with important tools toward combating these problems. This is essential to monitor
+fishing, identify suspicious activities, eliminate illegal fishing, and restore healthy
+fisheries.
+“Our duty to the whole, including to the unborn generations, bids us to restrain an
+unprincipled present-day minority from wasting the heritage of these unborn
+generations. The movement for the conservation of wildlife and the larger movement
+for the conservation of all our natural resources are essentially democratic in spirit,
+purpose and method.”
+-- Theodore Roosevelt
+As a seafood consumer, I want to be assured that my seafood is safe, legally caught,
+responsibly sourced, and honestly labeled, and produced without the use of forced
+labor. Requiring all seafood imports be subject to robust catch documentation and
+traceability from boat to plate would provide me with more confidence in the seafood I
+eat. I urge the NMFS to expand the Seafood Import Monitoring Program to cover all
+seafood. Please revise the Seafood Import Monitoring Program proposed rule to adopt
+the strongest possible standards for seafood traceability to intercept the flow of illegal
+seafood into the U.S. and to help consumers feel confident the seafood they buy is
+legally caught and not a product of labor abuses. Thank you for helping to address
+these environmental and human rights crimes with the seriousness they deserve.
+“A thing is right when it tends to preserve the integrity, stability, and beauty of the
+biotic community. It is wrong when it tends otherwise.”
+-- Aldo Leopold
+Thank you for your consideration of my comments. Please do NOT add my name to
+your mailing list. I will learn about future developments on this issue from other sources.
+Sincerely,
+Christopher Lish
+San Rafael, CA

f	1	Dear NOAA Administrator Spinrad and NOAA Fisheries Assistant Administrator Coit:	f	1	Dear NOAA Administrator Spinrad and NOAA Fisheries Assistant Administrator Coit:
	2			2
n	3	The United States needs an effective seafood traceability program to intercept the flow of illegal seafood into our markets. Illegal fishing is a top driver of unsustainable and environmentally harmful fishing practices around the globe, as well as associated human rights abuses in the seafood sector. The newly proposed changes to the Seafood Import Monitoring Program do not go far enough to help end the U.S.'s role in perpetuating human rights abuses and environmental destruction in the seafood industry.	n	3	It seems clear that the United States must adopt an effective seafood traceability program to intercept the illegal seafood going into our markets. Illegal fishing is a MAJOR cause of unsustainable and environmentally destructive fishing practices around the globe, as well as associated human rights abuses in the seafood sector. The newly proposed changes to the Seafood Import Monitoring Program are not sufficient to help end the U.S.'s role in perpetuating human rights abuses and environmental destruction in the seafood industry.
	4			4
n	5	Illegal fishing is destroying our oceans. Years of overfishing in nearshore waters have forced boats to go into deeper waters, which makes fishing more expensive. Some fishers will cut costs by fishing with illegal gear, fishing in protected areas, or ignoring catch limits. To save on labor costs, some vessel owners rely on human traffickers, some even kidnapping or drugging workers to get them on the ship and cut off from help. Further, the overseas seafood processing industry is heavily reliant on forced labor.	n	5	Illegal fishing is DEVASTATING our oceans. Years of overfishing in nearshore waters have forced boats to go into deeper waters, which makes fishing more expensive. Some fishers will cut costs by fishing with illegal gear, fishing in protected areas, or ignoring catch limits. To save on labor costs, some vessel owners rely on human traffickers, some even kidnapping or drugging workers to get them on the ship and cut off from help. Further, the overseas seafood processing industry is heavily reliant on forced labor.
	6			6
n	7	The U.S. is one of the largest consumers of seafood. Approximately eighty percent of the seafood sold in the U.S. is imported, and as much as a third of the wild-caught seafood sold in the United States each year is illegal or unreported.	n	7	The U.S. is one of the largest consumers of seafood. Apparently 80% of the seafood sold in the U.S. is imported, and as much as a third of the wild-caught seafood sold in the United States each year is illegal or unreported.
	8			8
n	9	The U.S. government has a responsibility to fix these problems, and seafood traceability is an essential step in the fight to end illegal fishing and human rights abuses in the seafood industry. But under NOAA Fisheries’ proposed rule, traceability requirements would apply to only half of seafood imports, leaving massive loopholes that are easy for bad actors to exploit. The proposed rule also fails to sufficiently address labor abuses in seafood supply chains, and it includes no commitment to improve enforcement of traceability requirements.	n	9	The U.S. government MUST fix these problems, and seafood traceability is an CRITICAL step in the fight to end illegal fishing and human rights abuses in the seafood industry. But under NOAA Fisheries’ proposed rule, traceability requirements would apply to only half of seafood imports, leaving massive loopholes that are easy for bad actors to exploit. The proposed rule also fails to sufficiently address labor abuses in seafood supply chains, and it includes no commitment to improve enforcement of traceability requirements.
	10			10
t	11	Please revise the Seafood Import Monitoring Program proposed rule to adopt the strongest possible standards for seafood traceability to intercept the flow of illegal seafood into the U.S. and help consumers feel confident the seafood they buy is legally caught and not a product of labor abuses. Thank you for helping to address these environmental and human rights crimes with the seriousness they deserve.	t	11	Please revise the Seafood Import Monitoring Program proposed rule to adopt the strongest possible standards for seafood traceability to intercept the flow of illegal seafood into the U.S. and help consumers feel confident the seafood they buy is legally caught and not a product of labor abuses.
				12
				13	Thank you for helping to address these environmental and human rights crimes with the seriousness they deserve.

f	1	Dear NOAA Administrator Spinrad and NOAA Fisheries Assistant Administrator Coit:	f	1	Dear NOAA Administrator Spinrad and NOAA Fisheries Assistant Administrator Coit:
t			t	2
				3	I concur with this message from NRDC and urge the NOAA to do what is necessary to curb illegal fishing and forced labor in the fishing industry.
	2			4
	3	The United States needs an effective seafood traceability program to intercept the flow of illegal seafood into our markets. Illegal fishing is a top driver of unsustainable and environmentally harmful fishing practices around the globe, as well as associated human rights abuses in the seafood sector. The newly proposed changes to the Seafood Import Monitoring Program do not go far enough to help end the U.S.'s role in perpetuating human rights abuses and environmental destruction in the seafood industry.		5	The United States needs an effective seafood traceability program to intercept the flow of illegal seafood into our markets. Illegal fishing is a top driver of unsustainable and environmentally harmful fishing practices around the globe, as well as associated human rights abuses in the seafood sector. The newly proposed changes to the Seafood Import Monitoring Program do not go far enough to help end the U.S.'s role in perpetuating human rights abuses and environmental destruction in the seafood industry.
	4			6
	5	Illegal fishing is destroying our oceans. Years of overfishing in nearshore waters have forced boats to go into deeper waters, which makes fishing more expensive. Some fishers will cut costs by fishing with illegal gear, fishing in protected areas, or ignoring catch limits. To save on labor costs, some vessel owners rely on human traffickers, some even kidnapping or drugging workers to get them on the ship and cut off from help. Further, the overseas seafood processing industry is heavily reliant on forced labor.		7	Illegal fishing is destroying our oceans. Years of overfishing in nearshore waters have forced boats to go into deeper waters, which makes fishing more expensive. Some fishers will cut costs by fishing with illegal gear, fishing in protected areas, or ignoring catch limits. To save on labor costs, some vessel owners rely on human traffickers, some even kidnapping or drugging workers to get them on the ship and cut off from help. Further, the overseas seafood processing industry is heavily reliant on forced labor.
	6			8
	7	The U.S. is one of the largest consumers of seafood. Approximately eighty percent of the seafood sold in the U.S. is imported, and as much as a third of the wild-caught seafood sold in the United States each year is illegal or unreported.		9	The U.S. is one of the largest consumers of seafood. Approximately eighty percent of the seafood sold in the U.S. is imported, and as much as a third of the wild-caught seafood sold in the United States each year is illegal or unreported.
	8			10
	9	The U.S. government has a responsibility to fix these problems, and seafood traceability is an essential step in the fight to end illegal fishing and human rights abuses in the seafood industry. But under NOAA Fisheries’ proposed rule, traceability requirements would apply to only half of seafood imports, leaving massive loopholes that are easy for bad actors to exploit. The proposed rule also fails to sufficiently address labor abuses in seafood supply chains, and it includes no commitment to improve enforcement of traceability requirements.		11	The U.S. government has a responsibility to fix these problems, and seafood traceability is an essential step in the fight to end illegal fishing and human rights abuses in the seafood industry. But under NOAA Fisheries’ proposed rule, traceability requirements would apply to only half of seafood imports, leaving massive loopholes that are easy for bad actors to exploit. The proposed rule also fails to sufficiently address labor abuses in seafood supply chains, and it includes no commitment to improve enforcement of traceability requirements.
	10			12
	11	Please revise the Seafood Import Monitoring Program proposed rule to adopt the strongest possible standards for seafood traceability to intercept the flow of illegal seafood into the U.S. and help consumers feel confident the seafood they buy is legally caught and not a product of labor abuses. Thank you for helping to address these environmental and human rights crimes with the seriousness they deserve.		13	Please revise the Seafood Import Monitoring Program proposed rule to adopt the strongest possible standards for seafood traceability to intercept the flow of illegal seafood into the U.S. and help consumers feel confident the seafood they buy is legally caught and not a product of labor abuses. Thank you for helping to address these environmental and human rights crimes with the seriousness they deserve.

f	1	Dear NOAA Administrator Spinrad and NOAA Fisheries Assistant Administrator Coit:	f	1	Dear NOAA Administrator Spinrad and NOAA Fisheries Assistant Administrator Coit:
t			t	2
				3	***Unscrupulous, amoral fishing boat operators on the high seas are ravaging both our ocean environment and the human rights of their effectively captive work force that is tantamount to a slave operation. The international legal system has yet to establish effective laws, enforcement, or deterrents in the vast zone known as the "High Seas," and in this legal limbo, atrocities occur that would never be tolerated in American waters. The fishing operators fly flags of convenience, hop from port to port like pirates of old, and unload their ill-gotten loot into opaque, untraceable seafood supply chains that are typically happy to not inquire too energetically into the provenance of their curiously inexpensive product.
				4
				5	This insidious web of the gray market fishing industry places American importers, wholesalers, retailers, and consumers in the morally untenable position of funding crimes against our ocean ecosystem and against the human rights of people tricked or conscripted into medieval working conditions. The world's oceans are coming under increasing, crushing human demand for animal protein, and these rogue fishing operations that push further and deeper into the ungoverned 'High Seas' are both a product and self-reinforcing catalyst of this race to the bottom of both our planetary food chain and the dignity of the human workforce involved. I urge you to demand complete provenance for all seafood entering American markets, and to close access to any importer unable or unwilling to document legal operation at every step, to remove the American financial reward that is fueling this moral carnage.***
	2			6
	3	The United States needs an effective seafood traceability program to intercept the flow of illegal seafood into our markets. Illegal fishing is a top driver of unsustainable and environmentally harmful fishing practices around the globe, as well as associated human rights abuses in the seafood sector. The newly proposed changes to the Seafood Import Monitoring Program do not go far enough to help end the U.S.'s role in perpetuating human rights abuses and environmental destruction in the seafood industry.		7	The United States needs an effective seafood traceability program to intercept the flow of illegal seafood into our markets. Illegal fishing is a top driver of unsustainable and environmentally harmful fishing practices around the globe, as well as associated human rights abuses in the seafood sector. The newly proposed changes to the Seafood Import Monitoring Program do not go far enough to help end the U.S.'s role in perpetuating human rights abuses and environmental destruction in the seafood industry.
	4			8
	5	Illegal fishing is destroying our oceans. Years of overfishing in nearshore waters have forced boats to go into deeper waters, which makes fishing more expensive. Some fishers will cut costs by fishing with illegal gear, fishing in protected areas, or ignoring catch limits. To save on labor costs, some vessel owners rely on human traffickers, some even kidnapping or drugging workers to get them on the ship and cut off from help. Further, the overseas seafood processing industry is heavily reliant on forced labor.		9	Illegal fishing is destroying our oceans. Years of overfishing in nearshore waters have forced boats to go into deeper waters, which makes fishing more expensive. Some fishers will cut costs by fishing with illegal gear, fishing in protected areas, or ignoring catch limits. To save on labor costs, some vessel owners rely on human traffickers, some even kidnapping or drugging workers to get them on the ship and cut off from help. Further, the overseas seafood processing industry is heavily reliant on forced labor.
	6			10
	7	The U.S. is one of the largest consumers of seafood. Approximately eighty percent of the seafood sold in the U.S. is imported, and as much as a third of the wild-caught seafood sold in the United States each year is illegal or unreported.		11	The U.S. is one of the largest consumers of seafood. Approximately eighty percent of the seafood sold in the U.S. is imported, and as much as a third of the wild-caught seafood sold in the United States each year is illegal or unreported.
	8			12
	9	The U.S. government has a responsibility to fix these problems, and seafood traceability is an essential step in the fight to end illegal fishing and human rights abuses in the seafood industry. But under NOAA Fisheries’ proposed rule, traceability requirements would apply to only half of seafood imports, leaving massive loopholes that are easy for bad actors to exploit. The proposed rule also fails to sufficiently address labor abuses in seafood supply chains, and it includes no commitment to improve enforcement of traceability requirements.		13	The U.S. government has a responsibility to fix these problems, and seafood traceability is an essential step in the fight to end illegal fishing and human rights abuses in the seafood industry. But under NOAA Fisheries’ proposed rule, traceability requirements would apply to only half of seafood imports, leaving massive loopholes that are easy for bad actors to exploit. The proposed rule also fails to sufficiently address labor abuses in seafood supply chains, and it includes no commitment to improve enforcement of traceability requirements.
	10			14
	11	Please revise the Seafood Import Monitoring Program proposed rule to adopt the strongest possible standards for seafood traceability to intercept the flow of illegal seafood into the U.S. and help consumers feel confident the seafood they buy is legally caught and not a product of labor abuses. Thank you for helping to address these environmental and human rights crimes with the seriousness they deserve.		15	Please revise the Seafood Import Monitoring Program proposed rule to adopt the strongest possible standards for seafood traceability to intercept the flow of illegal seafood into the U.S. and help consumers feel confident the seafood they buy is legally caught and not a product of labor abuses. Thank you for helping to address these environmental and human rights crimes with the seriousness they deserve.

f	1	Dear NOAA Administrator Spinrad and NOAA Fisheries Assistant Administrator Coit:	f	1	Dear NOAA Administrator Spinrad and NOAA Fisheries Assistant Administrator Coit:
t			t	2
				3	Considering our threats to ocean systems stability and marine species sustainability, and the need to address the outsized human footprint on our ocean ecosystems, it is time to address all issues of fishing with the most robust rules possible. Please enact the strictest and loophole-free monitoring and traceability rules to counter the damage we are doing to our ocean life.
	2			4
	3	The United States needs an effective seafood traceability program to intercept the flow of illegal seafood into our markets. Illegal fishing is a top driver of unsustainable and environmentally harmful fishing practices around the globe, as well as associated human rights abuses in the seafood sector. The newly proposed changes to the Seafood Import Monitoring Program do not go far enough to help end the U.S.'s role in perpetuating human rights abuses and environmental destruction in the seafood industry.		5	The United States needs an effective seafood traceability program to intercept the flow of illegal seafood into our markets. Illegal fishing is a top driver of unsustainable and environmentally harmful fishing practices around the globe, as well as associated human rights abuses in the seafood sector. The newly proposed changes to the Seafood Import Monitoring Program do not go far enough to help end the U.S.'s role in perpetuating human rights abuses and environmental destruction in the seafood industry.
	4			6
	5	Illegal fishing is destroying our oceans. Years of overfishing in nearshore waters have forced boats to go into deeper waters, which makes fishing more expensive. Some fishers will cut costs by fishing with illegal gear, fishing in protected areas, or ignoring catch limits. To save on labor costs, some vessel owners rely on human traffickers, some even kidnapping or drugging workers to get them on the ship and cut off from help. Further, the overseas seafood processing industry is heavily reliant on forced labor.		7	Illegal fishing is destroying our oceans. Years of overfishing in nearshore waters have forced boats to go into deeper waters, which makes fishing more expensive. Some fishers will cut costs by fishing with illegal gear, fishing in protected areas, or ignoring catch limits. To save on labor costs, some vessel owners rely on human traffickers, some even kidnapping or drugging workers to get them on the ship and cut off from help. Further, the overseas seafood processing industry is heavily reliant on forced labor.
	6			8
	7	The U.S. is one of the largest consumers of seafood. Approximately eighty percent of the seafood sold in the U.S. is imported, and as much as a third of the wild-caught seafood sold in the United States each year is illegal or unreported.		9	The U.S. is one of the largest consumers of seafood. Approximately eighty percent of the seafood sold in the U.S. is imported, and as much as a third of the wild-caught seafood sold in the United States each year is illegal or unreported.
	8			10
	9	The U.S. government has a responsibility to fix these problems, and seafood traceability is an essential step in the fight to end illegal fishing and human rights abuses in the seafood industry. But under NOAA Fisheries’ proposed rule, traceability requirements would apply to only half of seafood imports, leaving massive loopholes that are easy for bad actors to exploit. The proposed rule also fails to sufficiently address labor abuses in seafood supply chains, and it includes no commitment to improve enforcement of traceability requirements.		11	The U.S. government has a responsibility to fix these problems, and seafood traceability is an essential step in the fight to end illegal fishing and human rights abuses in the seafood industry. But under NOAA Fisheries’ proposed rule, traceability requirements would apply to only half of seafood imports, leaving massive loopholes that are easy for bad actors to exploit. The proposed rule also fails to sufficiently address labor abuses in seafood supply chains, and it includes no commitment to improve enforcement of traceability requirements.
	10			12
	11	Please revise the Seafood Import Monitoring Program proposed rule to adopt the strongest possible standards for seafood traceability to intercept the flow of illegal seafood into the U.S. and help consumers feel confident the seafood they buy is legally caught and not a product of labor abuses. Thank you for helping to address these environmental and human rights crimes with the seriousness they deserve.		13	Please revise the Seafood Import Monitoring Program proposed rule to adopt the strongest possible standards for seafood traceability to intercept the flow of illegal seafood into the U.S. and help consumers feel confident the seafood they buy is legally caught and not a product of labor abuses. Thank you for helping to address these environmental and human rights crimes with the seriousness they deserve.